N.L. tourism association relieved after VRBO apologizes for I'se the By ad
CBC
The provincial tourism association is celebrating a win after vacation rental site VRBO announced it would remove an iconic Newfoundland and Labrador song from one of its commercials.
The video ad, which used the traditional folk song I'se the B'y as its soundtrack, was set to images of a small trailer, an old barn with chickens in it, and a tent with a pig on an air mattress, which were meant to portray less-than-desirable accommodations.
After its debut at the Grammy Awards broadcast on Feb. 4 and a subsequent slot during last weekend's Super Bowl, there was public backlash, with the provincial government and Hospitality N.L. both asking VRBO to remove the song from the ad.
On social media Wednesday, Senator David Wells, originally from Newfoundland and Labrador, shared an email he'd received from Expedia Group manager Hunter Doubt, who said the ad would be taken down.
CBC reached out to Doubt, who initially said he'd "likely" respond over email. However, CBC News received an emailed statement from a VRBO's spokesperson on Doubt's behalf, stating that "the spot pokes fun at our competition, not anyone in Newfoundland. This is one of several ads in this campaign."
That was the same statement VRBO had sent to CBC News for an earlier story.
Neither Doubt nor the spokesperson responded to follow-up messages from CBC News by publication time.
In Doubt's email to Wells, Doubt offered apologies on behalf of Expedia Group for the ad "that I know many have expressed disappointment in, specifically individuals from Newfoundland and Labrador such as yourself."
He added, "While I know for sure that this was an honest mistake, and meant in no way to depict the province in any negative way, we certainly understand the due diligence as it pertains to the song choice should have been better."
Doubt also told Wells he had a conversation with Tourism Minister Steve Crocker and had relayed the company's apology.
In another email Wells posted, Doubt wrote "steps have been taken to remove the ad."
Doubt's did not mention the timeline for the ad's removal.
Deborah Bourden, chair of the province's tourism association, Hospitality N.L., welcomed the news that the ad was going to be taken down.
"And I think all of us in our industry will be happy to hear that," she told CBC News.
While his party has made a cause célèbre out of its battle with the Speaker, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has periodically waxed poetic about the House of Commons — suggesting that its green upholstery is meant to symbolize the fields of the English countryside where commoners met centuries ago before the signing of the Magna Carta.